Midnight Sun La Mâitresse du Moine

Brewed by Midnight Sun Brewing Company
Style: Abbey Dubbel
Anchorage, Alaska USA

Dark brown with good head. Very fruity and spicy. Good Belgian. I was surprised to see that it came from Alaska.

Pours a very dark brown that glows red in the light. Slightly murky. The head starts off as a large khaki foam and then settles into a soupy, light chocolate milk foam. The aroma is great. The Belgian yeast funk is all in this with tons of apple peel, stone fruits, clove and cinnamon. The flavor is nicely malty to back up the yeasty fruit and spice but the body is a tad thin. Extremely impressive take on a Belgian strong ale from this little brewery. Midnight Sun is definitely on my list to visit on my next trip to Alaska.

22oz bottle, bottled in July, probably 2003. Dark chocolate color. Big foaming tan head. Big chocolate sweet aroma with something of an hebal essence to it. Dark malt acidity in the finish. Earth. Dark chocolate again. somewhat roasty and raisiny. Bit smokey. In the finish figs start to come out, and in the nose too as it warms. I don’t know if there’s a place on earth much more removed from Belgium than ALaska, but this is a pretty decent approximation. Dark malt character is a little bit bigger in this one than some Belgians, but its a decent take. becomes leathery and alcoholic as it breathes, but maintains its shape well. This isn’t a complete rave, but a very good beer.

Deep mahogney color with a large light brown head. Aroma of plum, sweet malts, light caramel and toasted nuts. Light sweetness. Some plum and fig. Moderate toasted notes and some dryness near the finish. Ends with a subtle fruit tartness and hints of cocoa and tobacco.

Poured a dark brown. Aroma of dark fruits and raisins. Flavor continues with the dark fruits and light spice and pepper on the tail end. Finishes semi-dry. Light to medium bodied with a fizzy carbonation in the mouth.

Dark brown pour with a fizzy bubbly head that quickly dissapears. The aroma is alcohol with a sweetness of dark fruit. Sharp carbonation on the tongue. Alcohol not nearly as strong in the flavor as in the aroma. Actually I thought that the alcohol was extreamly well hidden. Chocolate malt flavor along with the dark ripe fruit flavor that is tough to describe. This is was exquisite.

This beer (as of now) has been rated 99 times, and is in the 99th percentile. Maybe being the 100th rater can get it into the 100th percentile? Unfortunately, not.
Here is the 411 (my 411th rating) - Too much alcohol all the way. Underneath the huge alcohol fog is a wonderfully fruity and spicy mix of hop and malt. The woodiness reminds me of Brasserie Des Rocs brune. There is a sweetness in the taste and a dryness in the finish - that is nicely done. Objectively a great beer, but a little off my prefence.

bottled. purple-brown colour with a large lasting head. aroma of mahogany, leather, mango and coriander with some generic belgian yeast character. quite a sweet candi presence and plenty of evidence of alcohol which forces some of the more interesting spicy and tart flavours into the background. i’d like to try an aged version of this some time